Gallantry and Recapitulation
by rgb-witch
Summary: Darker themed story of Akko and Diana being trapped in a dangerous dungeon. Akko is injured, and Diana needs to help both of them, while they need to overcome the dread and uncertainty of their situation. Diakko. Warnings for blood, injuries, general hurt/comfort.
1. Gallantry

Akko hit the ground, her body rolling with a few gasps. Her body was banged up, a few scrapes here and there, but the blows to her limbs and head were too much for the girl to handle.

She groaned, pushing herself up to her knees. The monster in this dungeon was taking heavy steps towards her, its feet invoking tremors from the ground, knocking stray pebbles into the air. It's heel alone practically matched Akko's full height. It was an incredibly tall humanoid, the top of its body shrouded in the darkness of the dungeon, unlit by torches on the wall.

Akko brushed the long strand of brown hair behind her left ear, and grabbed at her wand. She didn't have any effects from a potion; the flasks on her belt, too, were shattered by her stumble, drained empty. She cursed under her breath, and pointed her wand at the towering creature above her. She could hear its breath, its snarls, and the brunette quaked.

She didn't want to be _fearful_ , but she was sensing now how dangerous this situation was. She didn't want to mess up a spell. She stood up, repositioning her legs as she shivered from the bruises she had just received.

" _Murowa!_ " she shouted as she jabbed her wand forward, a ball of heat forming at the tip, before bolting forward at the monster. She could see the creature tense as it took the blow dead-on, clouds billowing from the strike.

Akko was panting, struggling to channel the energy around her. She had experience now, yes, but she was still a novice in many regards, even despite Yggdrasil being restored. She managed a smile, however. She successfully casted _murowa_!

 _Don_ , slammed the creature's foot, again, however. The smoke faded away, now, and the creature didn't even seem to _flinch_. It's yellow eyes gleamed in the dark light of the dungeon. The room was fairly low down, and only a staircase to Akko's left and a hallway behind the beast acted as any means of escape. She looked behind her, and the walls were barely 10 feet behind her.

She suddenly felt a creeping sense of claustrophobia, despite how large of a hall they were in.

The brunette's expression sunk. She wasn't strong enough to take on this monster. She needed to make a run for it.

Akko stepped backwards, eyeing the monster. It moved forward once more; she was in arm's reach now, as her back hit the wall. She yelped, her eyes narrowing as she grimaced. She couldn't stall any longer.

The witch jolted to the right, away from the staircase on the left. The monster clearly had some intuition of what Akko might have done, so she figured she had to do the opposite.

So she was in shock as she was slammed into the right wall as the monster jolted towards her right in like, kicking her with its heel.

Akko choked. She could feel herself spitting up red as her body stamped itself into the stone, while she crumpled to the ground in wake of the damage.

Her vision was blurry as she looked up. Time was moving fast, yet she could still count the milliseconds. Her eyes were half open, narrowed from what could only be a concussion. She didn't quite understand what it meant as lines of gold shone from the staircase, dozens of swords piercing the beast's bare back. She heard it roar, but she only quivered in fear. She couldn't move.

She couldn't get herself to pick herself up, even despite hearing voices shouting her name.

Akko rested her eyes momentarily, a sudden drowsiness urging her to just sleep away the pain. She was forced awake, though, as Lotte and Barbara hoisted her up.

"Akko!" Lotte shouted. "We can't hold you!"

Barbara was next to Lotte, nervously glancing at the monster as Diana tried keeping it distracted. Sucy and Hannah had left back to the entrance of the dungeon to find Luna Nova faculty, so the three of them were left to find Akko and help her out.

The black-haired girl stuttered. "C-C'mon, Kagari, support yourself!"

Akko mumbled as the two pulled her behind them towards the staircase, only before the beast kicked its entire heel towards the hallway. Barbara and Lotte yelped, running further into the staircase, while Diana grabbed at Akko's collar and jumped out of the way of the kick, Akko in tow.

The monster was… evidently furious, and attacked the doorway with intent. The doorway into the staircase crumbled, separating the party. Akko was still delirious, but was trying to keep a grip. She could hear Diana futilely trying to instruct the girl what to do, but Akko simply wasn't in any shape to respond. Her ribs were throbbing in pain, and the brunette was becoming frighteningly aware of every breath she let out.

Diana was moving the two backwards, waving her wand once more. " _Fineltina la Serana!"_ she chanted again, summoning more swords in the air. The monster was more _aware_ of what she was planning, this time, however, and swiped them out of the air.

The blonde was taken aback, momentarily seceding into shock. Beads of sweat trickled down her face, unsure of what to do. That was one of her strongest spells, and the monster made contact with it like it was _nothing_.

The monster wasn't letting up, however, and immediately stomped the ground in front of it. While Diana and Akko weren't near enough to be crushed, the shockwave that ensued was enough to make impact. Diana strafed backwards, to get out of the radius, and reached towards Akko's shoulder to pull the brunette with her. The ground itself was rising upwards in sharp pillars, magic visibly being torn away as the ground was ruptured.

The blonde widened her eyes in pure shock, a sudden fear rising in the short time frame that she could react in such a way. She could feel a sudden dryness in her throat as she realized that Akko was out of her reach. Akko was on the ground, incapacitated, clenching her torso.

Dust blew upwards as Diana was pushed backwards. She stumbled to keep herself standing, but immediately waved her wand to get rid of the clouds of dust. Diana was in a panic, now, looking around the room. She almost forgot about the monster itself, as she _needed_ to know where Akko was. Her anxiety only worsened when she could see red on some of the spikes from the ground.

Diana held her breath, and dashed towards it, seeing Akko lying still on the ground, crumpled. She was on her side, and her uniform was tattered now. A fine line of red was cut cleanly over her cheek, and a line of blood crawled down her other cheek from her eye. Her shoulder was gruesome: it was painted a deep, deep crimson.

The brunette's face wore pain like a suit; an intense grimace adorned Akko's usually kind face, she was nauseous from the pain and her injuries.

Diana hoisted her over her shoulder with a grunt, and began moving as fast as she could. She very well may be able to hold her own against a monster, but she couldn't guarantee Akko's safety. As her role as a student of Luna Nova, and as Akko's _friend_ , she had to help Akko get out safely.

Diana fled the scene with Akko in tow, ignoring the growing sensation of dread as red soaked through her uniform. 


	2. Outside

Diana hopped over cracks, and ducked at whatever debris was thrown her way. This hall was built _for_ this beast, and, as such, it was a suitable arena for this type of creature. Her footsteps were quick, much faster-paced than her likeliness called for.

She shook Akko on her shoulder. "Akko!" she whispered sharply, "Are you _awake_?"

Akko grunted in response, yet it was a tired response. Her hands weakly clutched at Diana's back, and tried squeezing Diana's arm. The brunette tried once more to respond. "Diana…" she moaned, her voice wet and muddied. "…Tastes like iron… D-Diana… What's wrong with me?"

The girl was clearly distraught, and disoriented. She didn't even seem to process what had happened to her.

Diana cursed under her breath. They had nowhere to go but forward, and potentially _down_. Backtracking was no longer an option, especially not with such dangerous monsters wandering around.

Diana finally found another hallway, and made a sharp turn down it. She kept running; the footsteps and the growls of the monster rung through her mind.

She wasn't sure how long she ran for, but by the time she stopped, it was after the adrenaline had faded away. Her lungs burned, and her cheeks were damp with tears. She wasn't yet ready to admit it, but she was utterly _terrified_.

She kneeled down into a squat, and set Akko down against the wall. Diana couldn't help but heave in response to the stress.

She shook her head, and focused. "Akko," she mumbled. "Akko, are you with me?"

Akko's eyes were all but closed, only a slit of her irises available to see. Her breathing was heavy and strained, and she was clutching at her chest. Her uniform was tattered, and the color palette of her person was stained red.

Much of her face was bloodied; from the cut on her left cheek, the blood from her right eyelid dripping down, to her damaged forehead. Her shoulder seemed to have the most pressing damages, a clean slice going through the shoulder blades and upper shoulder. Diana didn't have any access to water or medical supplies to clean the wound, so she knew they had to get out as soon as possible.

Akko was clutching her chest, and Diana feared that they may have been fractured or broken, but there was no way for her to check.

Healing magic wasn't an option for them anymore, as it became unstable and unpredictable when the interiors of the body, too, were damaged. Boosting the healing process of the skin was easy enough, but to mend bones and muscle tissue was another task all of its own.

Diana put her face in one of her hands, her gaze down. What was she supposed to do? What _could_ she do? Her team, the blue team, had been working close by the red team, when Lotte and Sucy found them. They were in a straight panic, as Akko went chasing something she found and disappeared. The blonde had instructed Sucy and Hannah to go back up while the remaining three would track down Akko. Admittedly, that wasn't what they should have done, as now there were multiple students lost, but she felt as though Akko's reckless nature and Diana's own prowess in magic would make up for the executive decision.

Yet here they were, in a scene that would only be found in a nightmare. Diana had always scolded the brunette for her recklessness, for how she went into things with such a disregard for the dangers. She admired that about Akko, yet the consequences, the _evident_ consequences, were horrifying.

With a small tug to her sleeve, however, and a squeeze to her hand, Diana lifted her face from her hand. Akko was looking at her, worry over her expression.

"What'cha… What'cha thinking?" Akko asked, innocently.

Diana's brows scrunched together, almost in disbelief. What kind of question was that? Was the Japanese student really _that_ unaware of the situation?

With a grunt, Akko sat up more, drawing out a yelp from Diana. Diana lurched forward in a quick panic, an arm on Akko's healthy shoulder.

"Do _not_ sit up, Atsuko," Diana scolded, catching Akko's attention by using her full first name. "You're not in any shape to do so."

Akko only smiled (albeit weakly) in response, however, squeezing Diana's hand harder.

"It's not as bad as it looks, okay?" Akko reassured, or at least attempted to. "I've been in plenty of worse situations…!"

Diana averted her eyes momentarily, before again scolding the girl. "You're delirious, and you're losing blood. We're _trapped_ down here, and you clearly have some damaged bones. Regardless of your past experiences, we cannot dismiss this one!"

She was seriously upset. There was no reason for the girl to dismiss her own pain, and it was frustrating to convince someone that they were in danger.

"Akko, you could have been _killed_ from wandering off. What if we hadn't found you in time?" Diana continued, her voice cracking. Her eyes felt damp again, so she tried blinking away any tears. Akko's eyes widened a bit, the situation finally settling in for her.

"That creature is one of the most dangerous in these types of dungeons. We were instructed to avoid them at _all_ costs, Akko.

"A-And to see you just get… to get _thrashed_ around like a r-ragdoll…! Only for you to–"

Diana was interrupted as Akko rubbed her thumb across Diana's cheek. It stung.

Akko pulled her thumb away, looking down at it. It was glistening, a shiny crimson painted over it now. Diana's right cheek was bleeding.

The brunette's face was one of guilt, Diana realized.

"I'm _aware_ of what happens to me," Akko mumbled, a harsh frown covering her face cheek to cheek. "I know what kind of threats are there for me, but _you_ didn't even know that _you_ got hurt."

Diana's eyes narrowed briefly, looking down. She rubbed her cheek, and then looked down at her forearms. They were bruised and scratched, and, while they weren't as bad as Akko's, she knew that the brunette was likely blaming herself for it.

Diana looked further down, her brows furrowed. "I apologize…" she confessed. "You're _okay_ , and I should be grateful enough for that."

She brushed down her outfit. It was coated in dust, and the upper half of it was drenched in Akko's blood. It reeked of iron, yet Diana felt a strange acceptance of it. She looked at the bruised girl sitting in front of her, red streaks patterning her face, a wet puddle of red around her shoulder. This girl in front of her was _alive_. Not just living, but truly living in this very moment.

Diana tried smiling throughout her fear, throughout her nausea. Akko returned the smile in likeliness.

"See, Diana?" Akko inquired. "We'll be _fine_! We both know there're multiple ways out, and we know we've got each other! The two best witches in the world!"

The blonde helped the brunette up, and allowed Akko some support.

"And… And when we get out, we can get a band-aid for my shoulder, and then we can get a nice hot chocolate! On me! Trust me, I'm used to this kinda stuff, y'know?"

Diana nodded, although she did have some strange hesitance in believing Akko. They had nowhere to go, now, but down. Further down this hall, further down this dungeon, until they could find another place to backtrack. Whatever monster it was that nearly killed the two, it was one of many. 

The truth was, Akko was terrified of what situation she just flung both of them into.


	3. Two Months

Akko and Diana's hands were interlocked, grasped as they trudged through the halls, trying to make some sense of the layout. The area was… peculiar, to be frank. The dungeon had only recently opened its doors, and had become quite a large deal to the witch community. It even made its way towards news outlets for the general public.

Diana compared the dungeons to the magical mirrors; the dungeons themselves often had a mind of their own, and while (most) weren't devious enough to change their layouts for the poor unsuspecting dwellers inside, they were clearly purposed for challenging anyone who entered.

Artifacts could often be found in such dungeons, and there was the fact that it was good practice and training for more advanced students, so Luna Nova often allowed students to make these kind of trips, under supervision. This one _had_ been explored before, so Diana figured that there wasn't much pressing danger to their lives.

So upon seeing that larger beast that almost crushed Akko to death, she was shocked, to say the least. There was absolutely no info regarding any larger or more dangerous creatures in this dungeon, so how did they even encounter such a monster?

She had her hand to her chin, deep in thought, until she felt a light prodding of fingers wason her shoulder.

"Are you alright, Diana?" Akko asked as Diana glanced back, slight concern in her voice. "You're grip's getting kinda firm."

Diana slowed her pace, and lightened her grip; she reached over with her other hand and patted the back of Akko's hand, offering an apology. She hoped that Akko didn't notice the faint flush of her cheeks.

After some thought, Diana made intense eye contact with Akko. "I was just thinking…" she began, "How we hadn't heard of any large monsters in this dungeon."

The brunette tilted her head, not really understanding what Diana was getting at.

Elaborating, the blonde continued, "I suppose that I'm… I'm a bit concerned of the true nature of this dungeon."

Now, Akko's grip seemed to be the one to tighten. She hadn't much experience with dungeons, before. Her one and only experience was when Diana had accidentally released a dragon that promptly escaped the dungeon and caused chaos on Luna Nova's campus. That dungeon was on Luna Nova property, however, and wasn't very intense or magical of a dungeon; Akko, Lotte, and Sucy hadn't even gotten to explore the dungeon to its fullest, either.

It was now that the Japanese student nervously considered the glowing yellow markings in the wall, depicting magical runes, to potentially be more malicious than the decorations she originally thought. She considered, too, the minor stains of blood on her cheeks. She generally didn't care much for danger, nor injuries, though a strange sense of claustrophobia seemed to be settling in.

Diana looked back at Akko, trying to comfort the girl with another grip of the hand and a soft smile.

"Don't worry, Akko. I was mentioning it solely for your awareness," the blonde assured. It was the least she could do, after all, since Akko had only minutes ago reassured her. "And I certainly _am_ in the mood for some hot chocolate!"

Akko managed to genuinely smile, happy that she scored some time with Diana. "'Course!" she beamed!

Diana certainly was on edge, though she made sure not to let any anxiety seep through her attitude. She was worried for Akko still, if only a little, as she wondered how well the girl could move. They were fortunate enough not to have encountered any more enemies, but she felt as though enough time had passed that they were pushing their luck.

Turning a corner, Diana could only huff as she proved herself right.

In the wall was an entrance to another stairwell, exactly what the two had been searching for. Except this one went _down_.

She glanced at Akko, who slid her finger across the cut of her cheek. She was nervously looking into the darkness of the stairwell, its walls lit only by those same yellow runes in the wall. They seemed to grow ever so slightly larger as they approached the lower levels.

Akko gulped, and nodded curtly to Diana. They were running out of options, and since every path in the dungeon intertwines the further down you go, they would be more likely to find a stairwell up if they searched in a lower floor. Pulling out their wands to each cast a spell to better light the area, they slowly stepped down the stairs together, moving further down into the dungeon's levels.

Neither noticed how their own minor scratches and cuts re-opened as they cast the spell.

* * *

 **A/N: Hiya! Decided to slow the pace a little with this really short chapter and provide a bit more exposition now that I (hopefully) have established what kind of tones will be consistent throughout this story! Thanks for reading, I hope you guys are enjoying. As always, constructive critique is welcomed, too!**

 **Also, as for the titles of the chapters, I want to mention that they don't necessarily regard the substance of the story, but rather encourage tone. If you understand where I'm getting the chapter names from, too, then that's awesome!**


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